Birth certificate issuance drops as booklet shortage bites
Data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that 1.35 million birth certificates were issued in 2024, a steep fall from the 1.95 million processed the previous year.
Kenya’s civil registration system came under pressure last year after the issuance of birth certificates dropped by over 600,000, with authorities pointing to a shortage of printing booklets as the main cause of the disruption.
Data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that 1.35 million birth certificates were issued in 2024, a steep fall from the 1.95 million processed the previous year.
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“This decline is largely attributed to inadequate supply of birth certificate booklets,” reads part of the Kenya Vital Statistics Report.
Birth certificates play a vital role in accessing government services, especially for children, including entry into schools, medical treatment, and access to social benefits.
They are also used to protect minors from dangers such as exploitation, early marriage, and trafficking.
In schools, the document is needed to generate a learner’s examination assessment number.
This number allows learners to be issued with a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) used throughout their school years.
Despite being a key legal document, the Kenyan legal framework does not consider the birth certificate as proof of citizenship. Eligibility for nationality is instead linked to the national identity card.
Last year, Nairobi recorded the highest number of birth certificates issued at 152,433. Kiambu followed with 67,632 while Kilifi came third with 62,352. The lowest numbers were reported in Samburu at 6,230, Lamu at 6,845 and Isiolo at 9,378.
The fall in the number of certificates issued coincided with a 6.9 per cent decline in the number of live births in the country.
KNBS reported 1.11 million live births in 2024, down from 1.19 million the previous year. Stillbirths also declined from 11,600 to 9,864.
Concerns over the security of birth registration were also raised after a break-in at the Mutomo civil registration office in Kitui County.
During the incident, 900 birth certificates and registration booklets were stolen alongside office equipment.
In response, the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services cancelled the stolen certificates to prevent potential misuse.
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